In a flash, Chu Qingluan leaped up and somersaulted in the air like a pigeon, barely avoiding the sharp wooden stakes that suddenly protruded from the ground. At the same time, several hidden weapons shot out from her sleeves when she landed, and several muffled groans were heard in the darkness.
"hiss--"
But at this moment, her beloved horse's front leg was pierced by a splinter and it fell to the ground in pain.
Before Chu Qingluan could worry, a deafening roar suddenly came from the forest. It sounded like some large wild beast.
Everyone was on high alert as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
Then, they saw a huge black bear running towards them. The black bear was about as tall as a house, with red eyes and foam at the mouth. It rushed towards Chu Qingluan and his group like a madman.
“Roar! Roar!”
Everyone present was terrified. Several guards hurriedly drew their swords and stood in front of Chu Qingluan.
But before he could even take one move, the two imperial guards were torn to pieces alive by the black bear, with blood and internal organs all over the ground.
Chu Qingluan's pupils suddenly shrank, and she quickly drew out the soft sword from her waist to respond. The sword light was like a sword, and every move was deadly.
But the black bear seemed to feel no pain. Even though it had wounds on its body, it still pounced towards Chu Qingluan and her group regardless.
Soon, the guards behind him were beaten to pieces by the black bear. Some were dead, some were injured, and they lay all over the ground.
The black bear seized the opportunity and slapped Chu Qingluan with its right palm. Chu Qingluan dodged sideways and slashed the bear's belly with a sword in his backhand.
Unexpectedly, the beast seemed to feel no pain, but became even more violent. It smashed the huge rock beside it with one palm. When the broken rocks flew, a bloody mark was left on Chu Qingluan's left arm.
"As expected, I used medicine..."
In the moment she hesitated, the black bear adjusted its posture and attacked again.
"Princess, be careful!"
At this critical moment, Zhixia suddenly appeared with a team of secret guards and rushed out from the dense forest.
At the same time, Zhixia stabbed the black bear's throat with the long sword in his hand.
"Princess, please leave. I'll cover your retreat!"
Chu Qingluan did not hesitate. She immediately got on a chestnut horse, turned around and galloped towards the cliff.
Behind her came the painful roar of the black bear and the sound of swords clashing. The blood on her left arm was also blowing in the wind, but she did not dare to slow down at all.
She rode her horse at a rapid speed all the way and finally arrived near the cliff, but the surroundings were eerily quiet.
Just as Chu Qingluan stepped onto a protruding rock, a sound of breaking air suddenly came from behind her -
“Whoosh!”
Three poisoned arrows shot at her from different directions. Chu Qingluan spun around to avoid two of them, but the third one grazed her shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.
"hiss!"
She felt her arm stiffen for a moment, and when she was about to retreat, she saw eight masked men in black appear in front of her out of nowhere. All of them had faces as gloomy as iron, and their skin was abnormally cold and pale.
That is due to not seeing sunlight for many years. In other words, these eight people in front of us are all dead men.
Then, the eight people formed a fan shape and slowly approached Chu Qingluan, and every step seemed to be measured with precision.
Chu Qingluan was looking at the enemy while retreating. The wound was itchy and painful, but she couldn't care less at the moment.
Finally, she retreated to the edge of the cliff, with nowhere to go.
In front of her were eight assassins, approaching her with almost no blind spots. Behind her was a bottomless abyss. Looking down from above, she could only see a vast expanse of white mist and tall, lush trees in the depths.
Chu Qingluan's heart suddenly sank.
Is it possible that I will die on this cliff today?
She steadied herself, glanced coldly at the eight assassins in front of her, and asked in a deep voice, "Who ordered you to do this?"
The leading assassin had a blank expression on his face, and his voice was as hoarse as the friction of gravel: "When Her Highness Princess arrives at Yama Palace, she will know."
As they spoke, the eight men suddenly jumped up, the short knives in their hands flashing coldly, and went straight for Chu Qingluan's vital points.
These assassins clearly have murderous intentions.
Chu Qingluan no longer hesitated and immediately raised the sword to block. For a moment, the sword tip collided with the blade, and sparks flew.
However, the opponent's attack was fierce and the coordination was tacit, almost blocking all her escape routes. In addition, the wound on her left arm was aching slightly, and the poison seemed to have begun to spread, and her movements gradually slowed down.
In the end, Chu Qingluan was forced to retreat again and again, and the gravel under her feet rolled down the cliff.
But in the end, she only managed to kill three assassins, leaving five, who were slowly approaching her.
Chu Qingluan's eyes tightened, and she supported herself on the ground with her sword, preparing for a desperate fight.
At this critical moment——
“Zheng!”
A sharp sword light broke through the air and instantly cut off the blades of the two assassins!
Immediately afterwards, a dark figure rushed over like a ghost, swept the sword across, and forced back the other three!
"Your Highness! I am late!"
Pei Yuan's voice was low and cold, with a hint of suppressed anger.
He knew that this hunting trip would not be peaceful, so he had people keep an eye on Chu Qingluan's whereabouts. However, he did not expect that the other party would release the drugged beast, leaving Chu Qingluan alone and tricked into coming to the edge of the cliff.
"How are you, Your Highness?"
Pei Yuan's worried eyes fell on Chu Qingluan and he saw the wound on her left arm which was bleeding. There were also scars of varying degrees on other parts of her body.
It had been a long time since anyone had made her so miserable.
It's all his fault for not protecting her.
A feeling of guilt and self-blame instantly enveloped Pei Yuan, and his brows seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.
Chu Qingluan felt relieved and quickly shook her head to indicate that she was fine.
"Pei Yuan, their arrows are poisonous, be careful." She warned.
Pei Yuan nodded slightly, with a cold arc at the corner of his lips: "It's okay."
The next moment, the assassins gathered again and attacked.
Pei Yuan's sword was as powerful as a rainbow, and each strike was precise and ruthless, forcing the enemy to retreat again and again.
Chu Qingluan did not hesitate either. She stood up and stood back to back with him to fight the enemy together. The two of them cooperated well, and the sword lights intertwined into a net, which temporarily prevented the five assassins from getting close!
This scene was very similar to the one ten years ago when the two were ambushed by the assassins arranged by Concubine Xie.
It was also the two who fought alone in the snow, fearless of life and death, and surrounded by dangers.
They both turned around at the same time and saw a desperate determination in each other's eyes.
Soon, the sword energy swept across, and two people faced five people, and a desperate battle began on the edge of the cliff.
However, death warriors are death warriors after all - they are not afraid of life or death, and have no intention of retreating even if they are injured. Instead, their attacks become more frantic!
"clang!"
Finally, Pei Yuan used his sword to deflect the sword of an assassin who was stabbing at Chu Qingluan, and then cut off the wrist of another assassin with his backhand.
However, at the moment he turned around, a assassin, regardless of his own life, rushed directly to Pei Yuan's back!
"Pei Yuan!"
Chu Qingluan's pupils shrank, and she quickly swung her sword to cut at the man, but she was still a step too slow.
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